Chapter 126: Astraelyon

Astraelyon was a kingdom founded and ruled by the race commonly known as the Winged Ones.

From its very beginnings, it had remained at the forefront among the other nine kingdoms, standing out not only for its technology but also for its organization, its institutions, and many other aspects that placed it far ahead of its neighbors.

However, if there was one thing that set Astraelyon apart above all else, it was its security.

Shortly after its founding and with the implementation of the Argos, the kingdom had begun to build a reputation that, over time, would become one of its greatest sources of pride.

Crime rates dropped to extraordinarily low levels, and the system’s effectiveness inspired such confidence that Astraelyon became the ideal place to establish an academy to which the other kingdoms did not hesitate to send their valued offspring, heirs, and loved ones.

Astraelyon had become synonymous with safety.

Of course, not even Argos could prevent every crime from being committed. There would always be those who, blinded by rage, driven by their desires, or simply unable to control their own impulses, would end up breaking the rules.

However, such incidents were typically resolved with overwhelming and unparalleled speed.

Those responsible were identified and punished, and they never managed to escape the consequences of their actions.

Over time, the system’s effectiveness had come to shape the behavior of its inhabitants.

Committing a crime was not only a risky decision but also a foolish one that few were willing to make.

Even foreigners, accustomed to the laws and customs of their own kingdoms, quickly learned to respect Astraelyon’s rules.

Not even the most powerful organizations or the forces of other kingdoms—many of which viewed Astraelyon with suspicion—could take advantage of its potential weaknesses.

Argos left little room for that.

Or, at least, that was what everyone believed.

"Did you hear? Apparently, several people were attacked and robbed of their Argos."

"Yes, and they say they still haven’t found the culprit. One of the victims stated that there were two individuals who didn’t have Argos."

"That’s impossible—Argos would have detected them even before they crossed the borders. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

"Shh! Don’t shout. I don’t believe it either, but that’s what they’re saying."

That morning, rumors began to circulate among the residents of Delphia, the second-most important city in the kingdom of Astraelyon and home to the Omphalos Academy.

At first, they were nothing more than isolated comments, whispered conversations, and stories that each person passed on with a little extra detail.

However, as the rumors spread, it became increasingly clear that something had happened.

Something that shouldn’t have been possible.

For the inhabitants of Astraelyon, the idea that someone could commit a crime and evade Argos’s surveillance was already hard to fathom.

But the fact that the perpetrators didn’t even own the Argos made the whole thing even more baffling.

And, as if that weren’t enough, other rumors soon began to circulate.

"Hey, did you know that’s not even the strangest thing that’s happened today? I heard there were also problems with Argos."

"Huh? R-really?"

"Yeah. A lot of us didn’t even notice because we weren’t using that feature, but they say some users who had the map system active experienced a glitch for a few seconds."

"A glitch in Argos? I-is this about...?"

"Shhh... Don’t say that name. You could get yourself in trouble."

"But..."

"The guards say everything’s fine. Although, honestly, who’s going to believe them? There are guards everywhere, and it looks like they’re searching for something."

Uncertainty and suspicion began to spread throughout Delphia.

After all, while the kingdom was known for being at the forefront in so many ways, it was also a place that attracted the attention of all sorts of peculiar groups.

Some sought to take advantage of its advancements; others had their own agendas; and there was no shortage of those who, for one reason or another, preferred to see it fall.

That’s why, even though many tried to downplay the rumors, every new comment only served to fuel the doubts.

If Argos had truly failed, was it a simple mistake or something much more serious? And if the guards were searching for something, what exactly were they trying to find?

...

"Damn it! Momo, calm down! There’s been no mention of her being a student, and besides, no one’s dead or anything." (Akane)

At that moment, guided by Akane’s keen sense of smell, she and Momoka discovered that Shiro had left the academy, which made Momoka even more suspicious that something was wrong.

And to make matters worse, once outside the academy, they began to hear many people talking about the incident and whispering dangerous things, which worried Momoka even more and made her pick up her pace.

Even Akane, who at first thought all this was nonsense, deep down began to worry as well.

Her words to reassure Momoka were perhaps meant for herself as well.

In any case, the two followed Shiro’s trail, which was starting to fade because it was a big city and the smells were all mixed together.

Luckily, the more they walked, the more they heard the rumors, and on specific occasions, people even mentioned the races of those affected—which relieved them to know that there were no beastwomen involved.

Even so, Momoka wouldn’t rest easy until she found Shiro.

...

.

"Are you sure? Why would she come here?" (Momoka)

Finally, they both arrived in front of a large building which, if they weren’t mistaken, housed several restaurants and food stalls.

Momoka opened Argos and confirmed it.

That was even stranger—the academy had all kinds of food in its cafeteria, and if students didn’t like what was available, it even provided ingredients so they could cook whatever they wanted.

There was no need for her to come here. Besides, Shiro was very traditional when it came to food, which was why she was the one who usually prepared their meals.

"Sniff... Well, it’s a little hard to tell, but I think so. I’m also wondering why she came here. Hmm... Although I think I also smell another scent I recognize... Hmm, it’s a man’s. Who is it? Where have I smelled it before?" (Akane)

"Huh? Is she with a man? (?__?)" (Momoka)

"Hey, calm down. I don’t know why you’re getting mad about that." (Akane)

"Of course I’m going to get mad. She’s way too young for that!" (Momoka)

"I don’t know if you forgot, but the three of us are the same age and we’re already adults. Haaah~. Anyway, I didn’t mean to say they’re a couple—just that that scent also happened to cross her path." (Akane)

"Start with that!... Anyway, let’s go inside. I want to know what she was doing here." (Momoka)

"Yeah... But whose scent is this? Hmm, a classmate?... Oh! I remember now. It’s that massage therapist’s. Yeah, Iris’s husband. Was it Astar... no, Astan! Yeah, him. He was an interesting guy, which is why I wanted to remember his scent." (Akane)

"Let’s go! Hurry up! (?__?)" (Momoka)

As soon as she heard that masseur’s name, Momoka felt her bad feeling, for some reason, grow stronger.

"Ugh! I shouldn’t have said that out loud. I already told you they’re not a couple—it’s just that they both seem to have come in. You know it’s not good to stir up trouble in this city." (Akane)

"You’re overthinking it. I’m not going to look for trouble—I’m not interested in that man at all. I just want to find Shiro." (Momoka)

Yes, Momoka didn’t care whether that man was there or not; she just wanted to find Shiro to put her bad feeling to rest once and for all.

Even if she ran into him, she’d just walk right past him and wouldn’t waste her time on him.

"Hmm... Well, if you say so... Sniff, though now that I’m smelling it better, there are other familiar scents too... Ghh, starting the day without exercising is taking its toll on me. I feel sluggish."(Akane)

******

Moments Earlier

*****

"(?_?), Miss Olivia, please refrain from that behavior. You’re crossing a line and infringing on my freedom." (Lys)

"?_?, I don’t understand what you mean, Miss Biancalys. You, who were found guilty on all charges, cannot leave this room." (Olivia)

"(?_?), that’s something arbitrary you decided on your own." (Lys)

"Yes, but I’m doing it for your own good. Just come back, and we’ll study all day, like we usually do." (Olivia)

There they were, Olivia and Lys, staring at each other. Olivia was standing in the doorway of Lys’s dorm room, physically blocking her from leaving.

Originally, the two didn’t share a bedroom, but recently Olivia had made a deal with Lys’s original roommate to swap rooms temporarily.

That was because ever since the day she realized what her friend was up to, Olivia hadn’t let up for a moment in keeping an eye on Lys, with the intention of preventing that clandestine meeting.

This hadn’t made Lys very happy—she’d even missed her scheduled date.

She’d been able to put up with it because she could really distract herself by studying and doing other things, but today was the weekend and she was determined to go out, and Olivia wasn’t going to stop her from doing that.

"(?_?) You should stop this while I’m still willing to be reasonable. If you continue behaving this way, I’ll file a formal complaint against you, Miss Olivia, for harassment and misuse of unknown powders." (Lys)

"Hey! That last part is a total slander!" (Olivia)

"It doesn’t matter. Once I do that, they’ll hold you for a while to investigate you. And I’m not lying: you bribed my roommate, I bribed yours, and she told me that among your belongings there’s a makeup kit with lots of unknown powders." (Lys)

"Y-you...! That was because I wanted to... Ugh! That damn Agnes! How dare she rat me out?" (Olivia)

"Well, if you get it, stop getting in my way and don’t even try to follow me." (Lys)

"Ugh! I... I can do the same thing, too. I’ll accuse you of what you did to Professor Sullivan!" (Olivia)